Early Thursday afternoon, Green Bay Packers columnist Bob McGinn had an interesting feature discussing why Eliot Wolf withdrew his name, and what is next for the San Francisco 49ers. We discussed the Wolf information, the fact that Packers executive Brian Gutekunst was the front-runner for GM, and of course that alleged Jed York comment.
However, it was not until later that I noticed a particularly notable line in the article. I later added it to my article on McGinn’s reporting, but I felt it was worth pulling out separately. In it, McGinn said that if the 49ers offer Gutekunst the GM job and he accepts, “Thompson is expected to let him leave immediately even if the Packers reach the Super Bowl.”
The Packers could technically make the 49ers wait until they are out of the playoffs to let them hire Gutekunst. Coaches cannot sign a contract with another team until the playoffs over, regardless of permissions. However, executives can sign elsewhere if permission is given. Considering the impact of coaches vs. executives during the playoffs, this is fairly logical.
McGinn reported that the second round of interviews is expected to happen on Tuesday. I would think the first bits of information would leak out from either the team or any agents Brian Gutekunst, George Paton, or Terry McDonough would have either Tuesday or into Wednesday. Of course, much of this will also depend on whether or not the Atlanta Falcons remain in the playoffs. If they are eliminated, we could see Kyle Shanahan and his GM announced by the middle of next week. If Shanahan remains alive, I suspect we will be waiting for a dual announcement after the Super Bowl.